As a journalist John has covered everything from rural town meetings to the U.S. Congress and even done time as a crime reporter and photographer.|His first venture into writing about the game industry came in the form of a computer column called "On the Chip Side," which grew to have over 1 million circulation and was published in newspapers in several states. From there he did several "ask the computer guy" columns in magazines such as Up Front! in New Mexico and Who Cares? in Washington D.C. When the Internet started to become popular, he began writing guided Web tours for the newly launched Washington Post online section as well as reviews for the weekend section of the paper, something he still does from time to time.
His experience in trade publications came as a writer and reviewer for Government Computer News.
As the editor of GiN, he demands strict editorial standards from all the writers and reviewers. Breeden feels the industry needs a weekly, reliable trade publication covering the games industry and works tirelessly to accomplish that goal.
A long time ago Steven King produced a movie based on one of his short stories called Maximum Overdrive. Having read the story, I was pretty excited when the movie came out. But what really got me going was that King himself did television commercials to support the project. "I’m going to scare the hell out of you!" King would say. So I went into the theatre expecting a fright. Unfortunately Maximum Overdrive was so bad it was almost comical, and nothing at all like the book. So while some people say beware of Greeks baring gifts like giant wooden … Continue reading Fatal Frame is Fear Squared→
It looks like the developers at Bethesda are actually going to be releasing their Morrowind RPG in May for both the PC and Xbox, which is pretty amazing considering how much depth is contained within the game world. Well, I guess they have been working on it for quite some time, but after playing with the preview version of the game, I can say that their efforts were well worth the wait. Put simply, Morrowind is quite possibly going to revolutionize the way people think about role-playing games on the computer. I’ve played about every RPG for the past six … Continue reading Getting a Lot More with Morrowind→
The Siege of Avalon Anthology is a welcome breath in the world of role-playing games. No, the game does not break any technical benchmarks or cause your processor to smoke under the weight of the graphics processing. But Siege does do something that few other RPGs ever have: provide solid entertainment without breaking your bank. Siege can be had for just $20, a price that most RPGs won’t reach until they have been bested by their own sequels several times over. For that price, I was expecting a very cheap game that would not impress me in the least, much … Continue reading Siege Anthology is A+ Value→
I have a pile of lesser known sci-fi books collected from the dusty desks of co-workers when they moved on to new jobs, from library sales where everything was just a quarter, and several that friends have lent me with no intention of ever recollecting. A lot of these books, especially the short stories, contain some real gems. Sure, you have probably never heard of either the authors or the story title, but just because something is not embraced by the mainstream does not mean it’s bad. I love many of these books, and some of the stories they contain … Continue reading Around the Universe in 20 Minutes→
There are times when a game is released and everyone in the industry has to take a step back and say, "Wow, how did they do that?" Dungeon Siege is one of those games. Billed as a role-playing game, Dungeon Siege is better described as an action-packed Dungeon romp along the lines of Diablo II, Darkstone and even perhaps the Myth series. But that is about where any type of comparison ends. Dungeon Siege has the same type of elements found in other games, but they are put together so well here, you will swear that you’ve never seen anything … Continue reading Siege the Day→
If you are a new development house working in the game industry, you can expect that your first game, no matter how great, probably won’t equal a lot of financial rewards. The fact is that development companies often play second fiddle to the large publishers. And although most publishers are fair in their dealings with developers, we have heard many horror stories where developers end up with nothing for their efforts, even when their product turns out to be a popular one. And the fact is that even if a development company signs a great deal with a publisher, the … Continue reading A Publishing Alternative"→
Game programming for children has been around for years. But these days, much of the software billed as "edutainment" falls much more into the entertainment than the educational realm. That is not the case with ToonTalk, a program that really breaks the mold in children’s software. In fact, ToonTalk teaches children how to program, so one day they can make their own games. And I think most parents will agree that learning how to program a computer is a worthwhile use their child’s free time. It surly beats watching television. We had an animated discussion with ToonTalk creator Ken Kahn … Continue reading Talking Toons and Teaching→
Sometimes reviews are just too easy. Such is the case with Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. Basically I can sum up my feelings and advice in just three words. BUY THIS GAME. Well, perhaps being the resident World War II expert, I should go into a little bit more detail. This is by far the best World War II game and possibly the best shooter ever created. Coming off of a few weeks of Return to Castle Wolfenstein, I thought I had met the ultimate title in this genre. But believe me, Medal of Honor makes Wolfenstein look like Hoyle … Continue reading Winning the Medal of Honor→
Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance takes the monster-hit PC role-playing series into new territory – the console platform. And thankfully, the game is more than worthy of its namesake. Hardcore PC role-players should note that Dark Alliance is at its core, a console game. While not every quest is solved with combat, for more than 90 percent of the game you will probably be slaying something. But where other console ports like Diablo failed, Dark Alliance really shines. The flavor of the Forgotten Realms comes through perfectly. People you chat with look realistic, even when zoomed in, and all the voice … Continue reading Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance is a Quest You Can’t→
A man’s home may be his castle, but if you want to keep your Middle Ages home safe, then it better be a stronghold. Fans of the old Castles series will be overjoyed to discover a new realtime castle building sim for their PC. Players become the chief architect for wooden Motte and Bailey castles, advanced stone concentric designs or even fortresses never before seen. Of course you also have train archers, crossbow men, pike men, knights and others to man your defenses against armies that would like nothing better than to fill in your moats, climb over or bash … Continue reading Stronghold is Strategy and Structure Amid Medieval→
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